About Hungary

Whenever visiting a new country it is often helpful to have some background information about your destination. Continually inhabited since 4550 BC, Hungary, as a nation, was officially formed in 1000 AD and since then has played a major role in Europe. As a cornerstone of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and a part of the Soviet Union, Hungary has had a history resplendent with social upheaval and political strife. In the modern world, however, Hungary boasts many attractions for foreign nationals, one of the reasons that millions of people around the world visit the country every year.

Official Name: Magyar Koztarsasag, also known as the Republic of Hungary or simply Hungary.

Capital: The capital of Hungary is Budapest, situated on the Danube in the northern part of the country.

Location: Hungary is a landlocked nation in central Europe. The country shares borders with Austria, Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

Size: With a total area of 93,030 square kilometers Hungary is the 117 th largest country and is larger than Portugal but slightly smaller than South Korea. In comparative terms Hungary is slightly smaller than the American state of Indiana.

Climate: Due to its location in Central Europe Hungary experiences a temperate climate. This means that the summers are warm but winters are usually cloudy, humid, and cold.

Population: Hungary has a total approximate population of 9,956,000. This means that Hungary is the 82 nd most populated country in the world.

Life expectancy at birth: There is an average life expectancy for Hungarian citizens of 72.92 years at birth. This is the 102 nd longest average life expectancy in the world.

Major illnesses: There are a number of major disease risks in Hungary. These are bacterial diarrhea, Hepatitis A, and Tickborne Encephalitis.

Languages: 93.6% of the Hungarian population speaks Hungarian, or Magyar, which is also the official language of the country. 6.4% of the population has not specified which language they speak, or speak a language other than Hungarian.

Religion: There are a number of religions practiced throughout Hungary, these include; Roman Catholic (51.9%), Calvinist (15.9%), Unaffiliated (14.5%), Unspecified (11.1%) Lutheran (3%), Greek Catholic (2.6%), and other Christian (1%).

Government: Hungary has a parliamentary democracy. This is a form of government whereby the population votes for a specific political party and the party that has the most seats in the parliament controls the government. Typically it is the leader of the party that becomes the head of state.

Head of State: Laszlo Solyom.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai.

Economy: After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Hungary successfully moved away from a government owned economy to one revolving around the free market. Although a number of industries still have heavy government involvement Hungary has proven that it has what it takes to compete with the other European Union nations in the open market and the nation's economy has grown substantially since the early 1990's. A large public sector deficit has slowed the overall economic growth of the country, and this is a serious issue that the country is contending with, however the government managed to decrease this deficit from 6% in 2007 to 4% in 2008 showing a maturity in the market that is continuing to allow the nations economy to stabilize. Currently the Hungarian private sector accounts for almost 80% of the total GDP.

GDP: With a purchasing power parity of US$ 194.2 Billion and an actual GDP of US$ 136.4 billion Hungary has the 48 th largest GDP in the world.

For more information about Hungary expat insurance, the international health insurance plans that we can offer in Hungary, or to receive a free quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.

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